Another Day, Another Job
by Blaine Fox
Summary: Things going smooth? Not in this 'verse!


Title: Another Day, Another Job  
  
Author: Blaine Fox  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Spoilers: None  
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. All characters belong to ME. No money being made.  
  
Notes: Thanks to all who helped me beta this. Firefly Forever! This being my first fic, any and all feedback is desperately craved and will make me write faster.  
  
"Whatdya mean, it ain't gonna go down the way you said?"  
  
  
  
"What I said, Jayne. Buyer's not one, apparently." Mal stalked back to the ship.  
  
  
  
Zoe, matching his stride, asked, "Why did you take this job again, sir?"  
  
  
  
"'Cause it looked like easy money, Zoe. Why else do I take any other job?" The three of them entered the cargo bay, blinking away the grit and bright light. "Just my luck that things never go smooth 'round here."  
  
  
  
Kaylee and Wash were waiting by the mule, loaded and ready to go. One glance at Mal's thunderous face, however, and the two decided that any questions would keep.  
  
  
  
"Wash? How soon can you get me off this moon?" Mal snapped.   
  
Wash flinched back. "Um, sorry, Mal, but we ain't going nowhere for a bit."  
  
  
  
Mal threw his hands up in exasperation. "And just why would that be?"  
  
  
  
Kaylee piped up, "We gotta wait for the fuel barge. Seems like they had a bit of backlog this mornin', and everyone's orders got pushed back a coupla hours."  
  
  
  
Groaning, Mal pinched the bridge of his nose. "Just... ruttin'...shiny." He looked up. "They say how long we'd have to wait here with our hold chock full of... what do we got, again?" Mal looked to Zoe for the answer.  
  
  
  
She was absolutely straight-faced as she replied, "Hymnals and bibles, sir."  
  
  
  
Ignoring Jayne's barked laugh, Mal sighed. "Which explains the preacher's comments all week long about 'reading material." Mal closed his eyes again. "How long before we get the fuel, lil' Kaylee?"  
  
  
  
Kaylee grinned, and shrugged. "'Least two hours, Cap'n. Lots of freighters in today."  
  
  
  
Zoe replied to Mal's exasperated puff of air. "Look at it this way, Mal. This way we can pick up some extra rations. 'Sides, Inara's still off with her client for a while yet. We'd've had to wait, anyway."  
  
  
  
"Fine. That what you folks want?" Mal looked around at his crew's faces. They were all grinning like expectant fools. "Go! Play in the marketplace, whatever. But y'all'd better be back in two hours!"  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
Everyone was preparing to go out and have some fun and possibly get into some type of trouble that would require Mal to arrive in the nick of time with his swirling brown coat and drawled comments.  
  
  
  
Speaking of trouble, Mal saw River skip into the cargo bay dressed like, well, like Kaylee. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she was wearing coveralls. There was even a little teddy bear right in the center of the outfit with a heart around it. Mal shook his head. Was everyone out of their gorram mind? Didn't they know things never went smooth? And he knew what River was going to say before she even said it.  
  
  
  
"We need to find that part, Captain. Serenity's unhappy and you don't want that do you?"  
  
  
  
Okay he didn't know what she was going to say. And she sounded so much like Kaylee it was creepy. He hoped he wasn't due to enter the engine room any day soon and find her messin' about with his ship.  
  
  
  
He nodded at her cautiously. "Why don't you go on with lil' Kaylee and have a little fun. Be careful and don't talk to any strangers."  
  
  
  
She smirked at him before giving him a salute and a quick peck of a kiss on his cheek. She ran to meet Kaylee, who was waiting for her. He heard both of them scream at the same time, "I love my Captain!!"  
  
  
  
He shook his head and walked further into the ship. He wondered where the doctor was. He should be along any moment expressing concern and angst over Mal letting his sister get some sunshine. Almost like clockwork he showed up in his pretty shoes and blue striped vest. Mal waited, wanting to make him ask where his sister had hauled off to. He liked to take his pleasure where he could find it and getting doc all flustered was high up on the list.  
  
  
  
Simon looked around and spotted Mal smirking at him. He was always smirking about one thing or another. Where was everyone? No one ever told him what was going on until he was sewing up bullet wounds in the infirmary.  
  
  
  
"Have you seen River? I wanted to make sure the medicine I gave her is working." When the Captain told him he'd sent her off with Kaylee and the rest to some backwater market, Simon frowned and started to wave his hands around.  
  
  
  
"It might have been nice if you'd asked me first, Captain. Did you at least check to see if there were any Alliance patrols around? I'd hate to have to help you stage some daring rescue."  
  
  
  
"She'll be fine. Zoe and the others will look after her, make sure she don't draw too much attention to herself. Although with her and Kaylee making like twins that might be a little hard to do." Mal pointed to the bright sunshine streaming in through the cargo doors.  
  
  
  
"Why don't you get some sun? Take a walk? I'd hate to have everyone think I'm keeping you prisoner or something." Mal really didn't care about what anyone thought but if Simon took one step off of Serenity he was bound to get in some sort of trouble, then Mal could stop being bored and rescue him, maybe even shoot somebody.  
  
"I think I will." Simon stared back at Mal's sudden grin, then shrugged. Frankly, he wasn't too surprised when the captain followed him off the boat, because nothing the man did surprised him anymore.  
  
  
  
The sun was uncomfortably bright after the dim interior of the cargo bay. Simon shaded his eyes, and caught a glimpse of his sister and Kaylee, leaving the docking pavilion. "Should we catch up?" he asked his shadow.  
  
  
  
"No need to get snarky, Doc. We got *hours*," Mal drawled. Simon rolled his eyes.  
  
  
  
"Fine," he sighed. "Anyplace worth visiting in this dump?"  
  
  
  
"Now that you mention it, seems I saw a comfy lookin' bar a coupla blocks that way." Mal waved his hand in a vague direction.  
  
  
  
Simon sighed again. "Do you ever *not* go to local bars?"  
  
  
  
Mal slapped a companionable arm around Simon's shoulder as they started off. "Why, son, that's where the liquor is."  
  
  
  
***  
  
  
  
*thwuck*  
  
  
  
"Gorrammit, Simon. Where the *diyu* did you learn to throw darts like that?" Mal groused as he tallied up Simon's score, which was depressingly high.  
  
  
  
Simon grinned, and took another drink of beer. "Trauma surgeon. Steady hands, good coordination. All part of the job description."  
  
  
  
Mal frowned. "Too bad this place don't have a pool table." He stepped back to the line, and took aim.  
  
  
  
Simon snickered, and Mal let his dart go a bit too early. It stuck to the rim of the board. "Sorry, Mal. I'm just as good at billiards. That's just math, anyway."  
  
  
  
Mal threw again, and this time it landed on a decent score. He turned to gloat at Simon, and suddenly, his eyes widened. Mal leaned in close, and whispered, "Head down. A whole mess of feds just showed up."  
  
  
  
Simon, startled, ducked his head, hand going to the back of his neck. "*Tzao gao*!" he hissed back. "What do they want?"  
  
  
  
"Dunno, but we're not gonna give 'em any reason to look this way, *dong ma*?"  
  
  
  
Simon gulped and nodded, wishing he had stayed back on Serenity. This was not the smoothest day ever.  
  
TBC 


End file.
